Gold Whale!

Sometimes we are surprised by what we find at sea. Looking in his camera bag today Art Howard discovered several specimens neatly packaged in a resealable pouch. Here is an example of one of these specimens. This rare gold whale (Whalus formaticum atlantis) was pulled in by Liz Baird and Nancy Prouty with a big, big net during the first leg of the cruise. Usually found in the cracker aisle of your local grocery store, this grandiose specimen was collected off the coast of Virginia. Measuring in at over 14 cm in height, it is likely that this individual is mature but not stale. Gold whales are known for their cheerful disposition, and tissue samples indicate that they have a distinct cheesy flavor. Unfortunately, of the gold whale samples collected, none will be available for analysis back on land as all have been consumed by the scientific crew.